Mickleover family take on celebrity chefs in new TV show

A CITY mum and her two daughters will take on two celebrity chefs in a television battle next week.

Sixty-year-old Julia Willday and her daughters, Liz Willday, 30, and Lucy Sinclair, 26 – all from Mickleover – are the first team to star in the BBC's new cookery show, Step Up To The Plate, on BBC1 on Monday.

The show, which is hosted by Strictly Come Dancing's Anton Du Beke, pits home cooks against some of Britain's best chefs.

Julia's group, called Some Like it Hotter, were allowed to draw up their own menu but had to prepare the food in front of a live audience in a London studio earlier this month.

With just 12 minutes to make the starter and 25 minutes to make the main course and the dessert, Julia said her team felt the pressure.

“It was nerve-wracking but we had a great day,” said Julia, of Staker Lane. “They really looked after us.”

The team created pan-fried scallops topped with crispy pancetta and dressed with basil, sun-dried tomato and olive oil dressing for starters.

For the main course, they made fillet of steak with dolcelatte mash, fine green beans and Yorkshire thins dressed with a mulled wine reduction.

And for dessert, the trio made whisky cream flavoured chocolate sponge with a meringue topping – something Julia said she had perfected to keep her daughters' partners happy.

“They love it,” she said.

Celebrity chefs Paul Rankin and James Turner had the same ingredients and had to make their version of the menu in the same time.

Julia said: “When we got there, we had no idea who we would be up against.

“But when you get going, you just forget where you are and that there are 50 people watching you.”

Julia said she saw an appeal on television for entrants and thought “Why not?”

She encouraged her daughters to join her and they were invited to a screen test, which involved cooking, in Birmingham, after which they were offered a place on the show.

The day before the show, they decided to give one of their dishes a twist.

Julia said: “Liz decided to make Yorkshire thins instead of puddings.”

Liz, of Lodge Way, who has a 20-month-old daughter, Lexi, called her creation a “modern take on a Yorkshire pudding”.

“We had an amazing time,” she said. “I was nervous when we got there but once we started it was fine.

Sister Lucy Sinclair, a nail technician, of Western Road, said: “It was a fun day out for all of us.”

The group are not allowed to reveal who won but the outcome of the competition can be seen when the show is aired at 2.15pm on Monday.